The Elite
by keil7777777
Summary: The first short story I ever finished. Now I would classify it as juvenilia, but still good. The race was based on catfolk, and the main baddie on the Cloudscraper Behemoth. Rated for mild violence. R&R both my stories!
1. Chapter 1: The Khlad

"Hurry it up!" screamed Aro, turning around to make sure everyone was following, "We need to get out of here BEFORE the Behemoth comes!" Her constant yelling caused a small stir in an already frantic mass of people scurrying towards the exit. It seemed that everyone was in a rush to go somewhere, anywhere, else. Everyone, that is, save one.

King twitched his tail in annoyance. He didn't believe the fairy tales about the "Legendary Behemoth," even if Aro did. Besides, he always thought Aro had about the same mental capacity of a pile of rocks. King and Aro were the best of friends, but constantly teased one another.

"There's no way some overgrown lizard can both outrun and consume every single Elite here." The Elite, as they called themselves, were a race of humans that had grown spotted fur and tails similar to those of a cheetah or leopard. It wasn't clear as to why these traits developed. It was a general consensus, however, that they were just radiation effects left over from the nuclear war responsible for ravaging the Earth. The half-destroyed planet had quickly lost reverted back into a veritable dark age. Eventually the survivors patched together and replanted many of the forests that now covered the planet.

King crouched further behind the bush as more of his kin passed. The village was being evacuated because three of the six scouting posts had been destroyed. It was no small feat to destroy a single one of the heavily guarded outposts, yet something had destroyed three before the alert had been sounded. A single Elite had endured the fall of the towers only to die before the night passed. During his feverish mumblings he was heard to describe the offending reptile that everyone was now fleeing.

King scanned the crowd in attempts to recognize any passersby. He could make out the faces of many friends that he had trained with. It was King's dream to earn his place among the members of the militia. Also among the throng was his mom, screaming his name frantically. She briefly paused in front of his bush as if somehow sensing his presence.

_No, I'm staying here,_ thought King, _I'm an Elite warrior like my dad was, and I'm staying here to defend my home_. Almost as if responding, she cast a long sad look at her feet and slowly continued walking, passing him up.

King waited until everyone was gone. He stood up and scanned the now deserted village tentatively. Once he was sure that he was alone, he ran east to a small hole under one of the numerous trees in the forest. The hole was covered by a fairly large piece of driftwood that both conformed to the surrounding area and yet retained a peculiar distinctiveness—as if something about the wood didn't seem quite right. As kids, King and Aro had stayed up every night for a many a week digging up this hide-away and stocking it with supplies. Due to their young age, the 'supplies' were mostly sweets like pies and cakes. Less than a day after the foods had been accumulated, however, both King and Aro were forced to return home complaining of severe bellyaches. When the got a little older the two friends had restocked their hideaway with a more sensible store. They never got the chance to try it before their chores and responsibilities consumed their time.

The insides of the small dwelling were sparse, if anything, but included a few chairs and a small table. The red clay walls did a lot to keep everything nice and cool. They never had time to install indoor plumbing or the other million ideas dreamed up by kids their age. A small cupboard housed the meager provisions that remained edible after so many years of neglect. A small homemade deck of cards had been left on the table for entertainment.

King, having nothing better to do, settled down in his reclaimed sanctuary. He poured himself a drink, and started playing various card games against himself in attempts to pass the time. It wasn't long before he got bored of such repetition, so he decided instead to take a stroll. There was a location where a whole bunch of boar-like creatures called Khlad gathered this time of year. After little searching, King finally found one of the aforementioned beasts, and proceeded to climb on the creature's back.

During King's childhood, Khlad were gentle and kind, having no natural predators. Then it all changed. Animals who were dangling at the bottom of the food chain realized that the khlad were an easy target. So, needless to say, the khlad population diminished rapidly. Since they were becoming endangered, they developed survival techniques to throw riders, attack and turn the tables on predators, and to help other members of the pack if individual efforts weren't enough. Upon King's intrusive mounting, the khlad's new instincts came into effect.

The swine started by running slow at first, then at a medium trot, then a full bristling gallop. It was going so fast than when it dodged a tree the sheer force was almost enough to rip King right from his seat. King gripped tighter, until it seemed his hands were glued to the khlad's short fur. After a lot of such running, the khlad stopped to catch its breath, as did its rider. To King, this was a mere game, used for enjoyment until the game lost it's interest. This game, however, would turn out more dangerous than King had thought. Evolution was a tricky master.

The khlad resumed running, but this time in circles. King started feeling nauseous and dizzy almost to the point of falling off. This realization caused him to grab a branch overhead, of which there was plenty. The beast didn't notice its rider's absence, so it kept on running until it lost its balance and crashed into a tree trunk nearby. Then King, never wanting to back down from a fun game, got back on to see what the creature was going to do next. This offensive gesture just made the khlad even more determined to throw this rider off, one way or another.

The boar swerved around, as if looking for something. A few seconds later, it found what it was looking for. This new trick started with the rotund beast walking right up to a large tree and turning around. It followed up the action by launching itself against the tree. King had seen this dangerous, yet potentially humorous, maneuver before. It was meant to squish the rider into submission. Instead, King sidestepped and the not-too-smart khlad smashed into the tree alone. King then remounted and waited until the dazed creature had time to regain its senses.

When the khlad realized that the rider was still aboard, it started running back to the clearing where King got on. About halfway there it emitted a honk so loud that King's ears started hurting. When the clearing came into view, about 20 or so khlad were gathered in two lines facing inwards. The one King was riding charged between the ranks. The lines converged, as if to gore him. "It's a trap!" King's exclamation was followed soon after by a resounding smack. King had seen through the Khlads' plan to stab him repeatedly only seconds before the bands finished their attack. His sudden insight allowed him a split second decision in which his reflexes saved him. King had jumped of the back of the porker only to grab on to another branch, which were turning out to be quite helpful today. The lines carried through with the attack, but since King wasn't there, they ended up ramming each other instead. All but the one he was riding was out cold.

"Whew, this is getting cool! Does it have any other tricks?" King was having a nice little chat with himself as he jumped back on. Surely, this next attempt was to be the last performance of the day. It was also about to start.

First, the guileful critter bent both of its back legs, and then it pushed off with its front two legs, going into a squatting position. Then it launched off with the powerful hind feet, performing a complete back flip! The unexpected nature of this acrobatic feat sent King flying into the nearest tree with extreme force.

When King stopped seeing stars, he looked up straight into the eyes of a very, very angry khlad. He could smell the horrible breath, see the long sharp horns, the dark green fur, the three-split tail, and the hopelessly dark brown eyes. He could even feel the rage of the beast as it charged right at him!

King dodged to the side at the last minute and the unwary beast dug it's razor-sharp horns into the trunk of a large Dogwood. Try as it might, the Khlad couldn't seem to retract its horns from the trunk. After his tiring ordeal, King decided to go back to his hideaway, stopping only occasionally to gather some herbs by the side of the path. Upon returning to his temporary abode, he paused outside the door. Something peculiar caught his eye. That is, something more peculiar than the abnormal location of driftwood miles away from any body of water. He noticed that the door to his impromptu home was open. He made sure to always close a door that he had used, so this wasn't his doing. Some one else was in his house, and they were not welcome.


	2. Chapter 2: The Visitor

King drew his dagger and crept towards the door keeping a wary eye out for any more movement from within. He got closer and closer until he could look inside to see... A double bladed battle-axe headed right for him!

"Whoa!" King dove sideways, dodging the axe head. Then he stepped up on it, trapping it in the ground. He leaned forward, for a roundabout kick, but his weight broke the axe handle, throwing off his aim just enough to allow the now silhouetted figure to grab his leg and flip him like a pancake. Then, pinning King to the ground with its leg, the figure said these choice words: "King you IDIOT! It's me! Aro! For one, I don't like being snuck up on OR getting kicked, so BUG OFF!" King had a rather startled expression on his face as Aro got up and dusted herself off.

"Sheesh, you go looking for your best friend only to find 'em and have them try to give ya a nose job with his foot! Talk about gratitude!" Aro continued mumbling to herself as she started heading for the hideaway. King followed quickly, both breathless and speechless. He remained silent as he got them both something to drink. The two reunited friends sat down inside beside the roaring fire. Aro fetched the cards and they played a few rounds. It wasn't soon before King started pacing from frustration.

"Dang, I lost again!" King grumbled as he stopped to stretch. Aro smiled at him.

"Well, cards never was your forte, was it?" Now Aro was grinning like a loon. "Want to play again?" King looked at her like she was crazy enough to match the grin she was wearing so flamboyantly.

"You have got to be kidding! There's no way I'd have any money left after another round." He returned her smile. " I forfeit. You win. I bust. No contest. OK?"

"Sure, sure." Aro paused, as if hesitating, "Why did you stay here instead of following the rest of the town?" King's smile faded and he glared at her before responding.

"I'm not going to chicken out, I plan to defend our home like a true warrior would. I won't abandon our home at the slightest little rumor that goes around."

"A RUMOR?! Is that what you think this is?! Do you think that the wives of all those men who died at those watchtowers think this is just some silly rumor?!" Aro was both flabbergasted and infuriated at the same time. "King, face the facts. No amount of bravery or heroics can bring back your dad, or any of those that died early yesterday. They're gone for good and no one can blame it on some silly rumor. This is real. No normal creature could take out five of the seven towers within two minutes of each other, let alone make it so that there wasn't a single survivor!!"

"Except for the one that..." King didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

"Like that one counts! He was dead within a day of them being found! And what if this 'rumor' actually is real? What then? If it could kill over forty full-grown warriors in their prime, how do you think you would fare? Definitely not any better!" Now it was King's turn to get angry.

"Do you think that I would sit back and watch as that, that, _thing_ destroys my home after it already murdered my father!? How could I live with myself?"

"As best that you could. I know how it feels to lose someone. I don't know if you knew this or not, but that 'thing' killed my father AND my mother. You still have your mother and she is worried sick about you." At this point, Aro had her head bowed, and the shadows covered her face. "I couldn't bear to see her cry every time we rested or had to stop. She thought you were dead, just like the rest of her family. She feels just how I feel now: alone. But she doesn't have to!! That's why I came looking for you!" Aro looked up at King, quickly wiping away the now visible tears. "Why do you wait for some 'overgrown lizard' if you don't even believe it exists?!" King tried to hide his surprise, but he didn't succeed. Aro continued without delay. "I knew you were hiding behind that bush because I heard you talking to yourself. I didn't come get you then because I knew that the town was in more danger than you were. If you are so anxious to prove yourself, then why don't you come back with me?" Aro pointed outside. "Look, even as we speak, the sun is starting to set and even you know that night in the forest is when all the creatures come out to play. If we don't hurry, the rest of the group might think that we're BOTH dead." Aro gave a half-hearted smile as King paused to make a decision.

"How long will it take for us to reach them?" King looked up and he saw that Aro was already gathering food and materials that they would need for the trip.

"I dunno, but they guaranteed me at least one full week."

"Starting when?"

"Yesterday, now lets GO!" Aro threw him a pack as they ran through the door into the night beyond.


	3. Chapter 3: The Unfortunate Scientist

Dr. John Mephis was always strange according his colleagues. He called himself a scientist, but believed in a higher being. He was an expert in Anatomy, but believed that every individual was run by a spirit, or soul, residing in the body. Well, they would accept his work when his studies were finished. He had finally found the key.

For many weeks now, ever since the atomic holocaust, reports had been filed of large animals being sighted wandering the streets. They appeared to have grown to uncharacteristic proportions. Everyone started giving the oversized creatures nicknames. Most of them were the names of mythological creatures. For example, a large snake in a nearby town had been nicknamed "Hydra." The name was catching on to mean any snake that was overly large. John had been interested in finding the cause of these unpredictable growths. He found more than he ever dreamed.

The breakthrough came when he was investigating one of the nuked sites. Among the ashes of the ruined city, a group of flies buzzed happily around some unrecognizable food. John, being the good little scientist, took a few specimens to study later. During his experiments, he accidentally squashed one of the little insects. Cursing his clumsiness, John brought the little fly back outside and disposed of it. Before even reaching the ground, the small insect started to fly away. John re-caught the bug with a puzzled expression.

Furthering his investigation of the miracle bug, Dr. John found that different variations of the atomic radiation could be found among the ruins. He classified them as A, B, C, and D. Radiation A was the most common, and the most detrimental. It was what normally killed via radiation poison. The B and C classes were formed from multiple Atomic bombs detonating within a few miles of each other. B was increasing the growth factor constantly present in all reptiles, thereby producing the "Hydras" and such. C was instead speeding up cell activity and increasing the healing rate of the reptiles.

It was Radiation D, however, that truly amazed John. Its creation was as mysterious as its affect on living things. Somehow, the presence of the radiation could affect a person's life force, or as he referred to it, someone's soul. D acted as an anchor, retaining the soul inside the nearest biological source. Therefore, when a creature died near this radiation, their soul was usually forced back into the body! The possible applications of such a discovery were mind-boggling!

Before John left the site to present his findings, he searched for a few mementos of his glorious claim to fame. He first secured a jar fused with radiation B and C in case proof was needed later. Then he chanced upon a long piece of steel that contained copious amounts of Radiation D. Just as a joke, he fashioned the steel into a broadsword. "You can never be too careful" he joked to himself.

John gathered his things and released his helpful little flies. He was brimming with energy as he started down the path that would take him to the nearest town. After a few steps, he just couldn't contain his excitement anymore. He ran down the path whooping and yelling. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and soon realized that he had gotten himself lost. After hours of useless wanderings, the tired scientist crawled into a nice shaded hole to take a nap. As he was descending, John heard a strange noise, similar to that of a hiss. He never saw the oversized cobra until it has already delivered its poison into his leg. The hydra, as was its appropriate new title, was going to eat well tonight.


	4. Chapter 4: Beginning The Journey

"I just thought of something." King was walking beside Aro, and they had been traveling all night at a brisk pace. "If I busted your axe in the doorway, what are you going to use as a weapon? These paths aren't the safest in the world you know." She let out an exasperated sigh.

"King, your stupidity has exceeded itself once again. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, including back-up weapons in case the going gets rough." She looked at him, giving her best teasing look. "I'm glad you were nice enough to think about it earlier when I could've fixed it, genius. I'm soo glad I got paired up with the brains of the village."

"Anytime. I like to help out my comrades when they need it...HEY! THAT WAS AN INSULT!!"

"As I said, nobody's lacking intelligence here, huh?" Aro looked around a bit. "This is as good a place as any to set up camp. Get the tents up, I'll handle the fire." They completed their tasks quietly, working fast to preserve what little time they had left for sleep. "See you bright and early."

...

Later that night, King got up and went out by the fire. Aro turned and looked at him. "You couldn't sleep either?" she asked.

"Nah, I can't help but think about how this thing could have destroyed all those towers. It seems impossible." King got a little closer to the fire.

"Don't sweat it. It's probably just some rumor that got blown out of proportion." The fire was still getting lower.

"Were have I heard that before?" They both laughed. By this point the fire was nearly out. King looked it over grimly. "We need to scavenge more wood if we want something to cook with in a little while."

"Good idea," Aro commented cheerfully, "I'll come with!" Without pausing for King to protest, she ran into her tent and grabbed her stuff. A few moments later found the duo searching the forest for suitable firewood. At one point King had found an oak, but the termites had already gotten to it.

"Here's one! I win!" Aro was perched triumphantly upon a redwood that had fallen over a pit in the ground. "What's my prize?"

"You, my lucky friend, get to help me drag this thing back to camp. But first, what's in the hole?" They both peered inside, but couldn't see anything. Aro got prepared and with a quick "I'll check," dropped into the pit. A couple of minutes had passed before she emerged, creeping along and acting real quiet.

"What was it Aro?" She turned and looked at him, with an angry look in her eyes.

"Shhhhh" she replied.

"What was it?"

"Shhhhh"

"WHAT WAS IT?"

"SHHHHHH"

"WHAT WAS IT?"

"SHUT UP!" There was a rumble coming from the pit. "Great work, King. You just woke up the..." King finished her sentence for her.

"HYDRA!" The snake-like creature emerged from the depths and started toward them. This particular hydra sported three heads, and particularly large teeth. It appeared to have been a cobra once in its life, but now had little of the markings left. King, caught wholly unprepared, looked around for anything that might slightly resemble a weapon. Aro reached into her pack and brought out a small metal rod. She hit it on the side and it elongated into a double-sided spear. The hydra, sensing her to be more of an immediate threat, attacked Aro.

The head on the far right, the third one as it were, lunged at the catlike woman. Aro sidestepped the attack and swung her spear like a baseball bat. The contact sent pain reverberating through the serpent's skull as it thrashed wildly. Aro did a back flip to reach safety, and landed on the top of the first head. Head number two, during the initial engagement, had slithered behind a tree to launch a surprise attack from behind. Aro attempted to evade, but the fangs still scraped her leg enough to cause blood to flow out. Aro spun before it could back away. She then, with extreme prejudice, chopped the head right off.

"Take THAT you jerk!" Aro retreated to a more defensible position. It took all of her concentration to parry the barrage of all four heads. Aro shook her head and did a quick recount. "They're multiplying!" After her sudden insight, Aro began to feel a little dizzy. It was at this point that she realized that they must be poisonous also. This fight was turning out to be more than she could handle.

"Hang in there Aro! I need to find a weapon!" King was searching furiously. "This'll have to do" he muttered to himself, picking up a large stick. He ran at the Hydra, stick swinging. The hydra paid him just enough attention to hit him with its tail. King went flying backwards, tumbling into the hole. While he was getting up, a glint of light caught his eye.

"A sword!" He ran over to the sword and noticed a skeleton holding on to it. He tried to separate them, but failed. He grabbed the handle and pulled as hard as he could. "Leggo!" King yelled furiously as he continued to pull.

"No" the skeleton said simply. King did a double take.

"Did that skeleton just tell me no? I really must be tired." King reached for the sword again. The skeleton moved it out of the way.

"I said no. I'm not giving you my sword." The skeleton glared angrily at the bewildered young Elite. Or at least as much of an angry glare as someone with no eyes can manage. King regained his composure, knowing that time lost could mean the end of his friend.

"Well I kind of need it right now, so if you could loan it to me then I promise to give it right back." The animated pile of bones just shook his head.

"No can do. If I relinquish this weapon then I will cease to live. Its power keeps me alive beyond my time. I was mauled by the Hydra to the point that my body could not heal even with the help of magic. So I decayed into what you now see. I'm surprised that I can even hold the sword at all. The magic housed inside of it must be allowing me that one single luxury. Well, that and keeping me alive. If the magic leaves my body then my life will too."

"Well you seem to have the perfect set up then, don't you. You get to live forever, not being able to feel, taste, smell, see, or even move. I can't understand how you can even hear me. Seems like the perfect life to me."

"All sarcasm aside, I suppose you do have a point. I grow weary of my bleak existence. I'm still not sure if I'm ready for the afterlife though."

"Look at it this way: It can't be much worse than this." The skeleton thought for a moment, then sighed and handed the blade to King without letting go.

"Be careful not to end up like I did, and don't use the sword's magic lightly. A cruel twist of fate turned my greatest discovery into my demise. Don't flaunt the sword's power either. There is no telling what others might do to gain that power. Oh, and good luck. You'll need a lot of it if you plan on killing that thing." With his final word said, the unfortunate Dr. John Mephis finally released his weapon and passed on. King examined the blade. It was a broadsword, and a strong one. It was durable, yet light. He thanked the pile of bones one last time and climbed out of the hole.

Aro was up with her back against the tree, drowsily blocking the onslaught of attacks. King raced to her side.

"Aro! Are you all right?"

"Hi mommy! Are you finally back from work? I cut off the baby sitter's head and she grew back two! I don't think she likes me…" Aro, weak from the poison, dropped her staff and began to sway from side to side. The hydra, seeing an opening to attack, struck out with all four heads. King leapt and managed to block three of the four. The last of the heads changed targets and went after King. He twisted, trying to dodge, but still got bit on the side. King used his open hand to pick up Aro, then slowly backed away from the persistent serpent. It followed immediately; thinking that tonight it would dine like a king, if you'll pardon the pun. Eventually King just ran, draping Aro over his shoulder. Aro briefly lifted her head to ask King a question.

"Mommy, is it ok if I go to sleep now?"

"No! I…will not…lose you now." King panted, "We have gotten too far…to die here!" Despite his refusal, Aro went limp. He could, however, still feel her shallow breathing. King risked a quick look behind him and noticed that they were no longer being pursued. The Hydra had stopped for no apparent reason and remained sitting, looking at King hungrily. Looking around, King also noticed that large spider webs surrounded him on all sides.

"Great, spider territory. I didn't know we had gone this far into the woods." The telltale rustling indicated that his presence was already known. Thinking quickly, king grabbed a rock and threw it at the Hydra. It bounced off the creature's head with a soft thunk sound. Trying to maintain its patience, the four-headed beast just ignored the indignity. The spiders were visible now, dropping from the canopy and surrounding him. Fighting them off with his continually diminishing strength, King picked up a larger rock and threw it too. The insult was too much for the Hydra to take from such a small morsel. It charged in to take revenge for the soon-to-be bruises. King dove to the ground, trying to make himself as low to the ground as possible. The spiders, maddened by the intrusion of their scaled neighbor, changed positions and proceeded to swarm the Hydra instead of King. The young warrior gathered up his friend and her possessions before running back to camp. At least, that's what he was planning on doing before he collapsed from blood loss and the poison seeping through his body.


	5. Chapter 5: The Disgraceful Hero

When King awoke, Aro was standing over him. Pain laced his body. He was wrapped in a heavy blanket and was lying by the fire. He groaned and tried to sit up, but failed.

"Hey! You're alive!" Aro was smiling from ear to ear, obviously glad to see him awake.

"Not by choice. I have a headache bigger than the Hydra, my body feels like I got sat on by an elephant, and I'm wrapped up tighter than a butterfly cocoon." He managed to lean up, propping himself up on his elbow. He gave her a weak smile and she got up.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't get the choice then." She helped him up and tried to get him to eat some foul-smelling soup.

"How did we get back here? Last thing I remember was getting the Hydra caught in spider territory." King finally tried some of the soup Aro had offered earlier. It tasted bitter, but probably had some beneficial herbs or roots in it.

"That would be my doing." An elite dressed in the black uniform of the watchtower guard walked into the clearing holding a bundle of wood. King recognized him right away as his father's old friend, Derek. Derek had been the one to first attempt teaching King how to fight. King got up and stumbled forward to greet his old mentor.

"Derek! I thought you had died with the others in the watchtower! How did you escape? How did you find us? What are you doing here? Why didn't you come back to the village?" King just kept asking question after question.

"Whoa, hang on there kid! One at a time! I found you because that four-headed snake screamed like a banshee. I came to see what all the ruckus was when I saw your limp bodies just lying there. I took you to where I had camp and tried my best to cure your wounds. Aro was easier to treat because she only had a small scrape. There wasn't very much poison. When she woke she told me where your camp was. Together we moved everything over here." Derek paused and rubbed his temples. After a moment he continued.

"You, on the other hand, shouldn't be alive." Derek was staring right at King's side. "That gash and the blood loss was enough to kill a body. Add the poison and it's nothing short of a miracle that you're still breathing." King sat back down and felt the pommel of the skeleton's sword against his thigh. He smiled to himself and mentally thanked the old dead guy.

"Well, what can I say? I'm just lucky I guess. But what about you? What destroyed the towers?" King leaned in eagerly. Derek sighed and a sad look crossed his face.

"It was the Behemoth. It came right up to the tower and rammed it head on. It was so quick that the alarm sounded only moments before the initial impact. The entire building tipped right over. I was flung into the woods and was knocked unconscious. I returned to nothing but rubble and half-eaten bodies. The stench alone was enough to turn your stomach." King's face had a serious look playing across his features. He looked up at his father's friend and continued his questionnaire.

"Why didn't you come back to the village? You could have led the rest of us in retaliation. We could have ambushed it! Taken it by surprise! Maybe even killed it! You'd be a hero!"

"I'm a disgrace!" Derek snarled. "I fell asleep on watch! I could've run to the next outpost when the alarm sounded! At least twenty people died for MY mistake! Some hero. I'm better off dying alone in the wild." King remained quiet. Derek continued in a little quieter voice. "Saving you was only a detour on my self-inflicted banishment. I don't deserve no even call myself an Elite." Aro stepped toward Derek with a stern look on her face.

"Then you don't deserve to choose your own punishment. Let the tribunals decide your fate. Even though you saved us, it is still our responsibility to bring you in for sentencing." King got to his feet in protest.

"Aro! How can you say that? This is still Derek! This is still the man who taught me how to fight! This is still my Dad's friend! This is still the man who saved us from becoming snake food! Is this how you can repay him? It wasn't his fault that the Behemoth attacked. That creature is the reason those people died, not because he took a nap! Why can't you just forgive him and we can all get on our way?" Aro never looked away from Derek, but her eyes began to water.

"My parents were in the second tower. They never stood a chance because he failed to do his duty. I don't know if I can ever forgive him. Certainly not anytime before he forgives himself. Sure, he saved us. But as far as I'm concerned he still owes me another life, along with the seventeen others owed to the village. If they're merciful they might decide his life with suffice. Their decision is the only thing keeping me from settling the debt right now." Everyone just stood there. Derek and Aro locked eyes. Neither could turn away. Finally, King broke the silence.

"Well, no matter what's coming down the road, we still have to trudge on. We have to make it back to the villagers before the Behemoth finds them. We can fight and argue later. For now, we walk." King started to walk toward the supplies. He picked up a bag and started along the road. He took two steps before he fell down. He tried to get back up, but failed. After struggling awhile, he finally managed to regain his feet. He wobbled a little, and then began to fall again. This time, however, Aro caught him. Derek was right behind them, holding all the other packs. Without saying a word, Aro took the bundle from King and propped him up with her free hand. King caught his breath and muttered "thanks" before trying to walk more. Aro just smiled.

"What are friends for?"


	6. Chapter 6: Enter One Overgrown Lizard

"How long do you suppose we have before we get back to the villagers?" King was thinking out loud as they walked. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since King had been playing cards in the Hideaway. Now they had been walking for days, stopping only when King couldn't go on anymore. His wound had been healing quickly, much to Derek's amazement, and King was almost strong enough to start carrying his bag again.

"Well," Aro started, "since we left with six days left, you were sleeping off the poison for three days, and we've been walking for two days, simple math says we need to catch up with everyone by tomorrow. Thanks to Derek's shortcut and our break-neck walking speed, we might just make it." King sighed.

"Good. I'm getting sick of dried meat and watered-down soup. I'm hoping my Mom will fix us all a big, hearty, homemade meal. She's a really good cook you know. She'll be so happy to see us! Even you, Derek! We'd love to have you over."

"Sure, why not?" Aro muttered under her breath. "We could call it his last meal." If Derek heard her, he didn't say anything. Instead, the solemn ex-soldier peered up ahead.

"We might be eating sooner than you think, King. Look up ahead: smoke!" King let out a whoop and started to run toward the peak of the hill they had been ascending. Both Aro and Derek passed him up, laughing. King scowled and tried to hobble faster. The other two reached the top and stopped abruptly. King finally had time to catch up. He peered over his comrades' shoulders and gaped at what he saw. Among the ruins of a large campsite sat the Behemoth, basking lazily in the sun's rays.

...

"So, all we all sure about how we're going to do this?" King looked at his friends, and his only remaining allies against the reptilian murderer. They had immediately focused on coming up with a plan.

"Yeah, we know already. Now let's get this started! We don't know how long it will be before it gets hungry again." All three of the comrades stood up and stretched. They gathered up all the materials they would need and prepared themselves mentally. This wasn't a khlad or a hydra, it was a beast of lore, a mass murderer. And it was up to them to stop it.

They started down the hill overlooking the decimated camp as slowly as they could. Spreading out amongst the trees, each member of the trio sought only to remain hidden from the slumbering beast. King was the first to act. He ran forward and stabbed his sword into the creature's front foot. It awoke and let out a shriek of surprise. During it's awakening, the Behemoth flung the pierced limb upward, to escape whatever caused the pain. King too, went skyward. Aro broke from the trees and grabbed some of the rubble strewn about. She flung it at the reptile in attempts to get its attention. As the creature turned to look at Aro, King finally came back down to earth. In this case, however, the "earth" was instead the Behemoth's head. Aro's distraction had positioned the head right in King's path. King came down sword first, and embedded the blade into one of the creature's raised eyes. The Behemoth reared back and shook its head violently. King immediately released the sword and clung instead to some of the Behemoth's scales. The Sword was loosened and fell to the ground with a clatter. King looked around as he held on for dear life.

"Where's Derek?" King called down to Aro. "Why hasn't returned yet? He should have found the survivors by now, if any are still alive! I can't hold on all day!" Aro started searching for the sword while avoiding the thrashing feet. A single misplaced step could end her fight early.

"I don't have a clue where the coward ran to this time, nor do I care. Just hold on! I'm going to try to get your sword to you. If the creature is blind, we might have a chance!" She sidestepped another stomp and continued the search. The Behemoth finally calmed down enough to start a search of its own. King was still attached to the scales between the creature's eyes, so all the enraged reptile could find was Aro. Letting loose a screech of pure rage, it began to try and stomp on it's newly acquired target. Aro quickly ran for anything that might protect her from the Behemoth's onslaught, pausing only to fling sharp objects into the path of the assaulting limbs. While all this was taking place, Derek finally emerged from the woods surrounding them. He took a quick assessment of the situation, before noticing King's lack of a weapon. He started hunting through the remains of tents. He secured a light sword that was stained red from the previous owner. Derek removed the sword from the rubble and called out to the rag doll currently clinging to the Behemoth's head.

"Hey, King! I've got a present for ya! Catch!" Derek immediately flung the blade towards King. It arced across the sky, and was a little too high when it reached King. King released the scales and jumped to intercept the weapon. He snatched it from midair, but landed awkwardly on the slippery hide of the massive beast. He started to slide off the side, so he imbedded the weapon in the creature's soft flesh between its scales. The Behemoth shrieked again and attempted to shake King loose. King worked his way back up towards the good eye, defying the wishes of his enemy. A few well placed, albeit clumsy, slashes left the Behemoth blinded permanently. As would be sensible of a newly blind creature, the Behemoth thrashed even more violently. King was finally dislodged from his malignant steed, and fell twenty or so feet. A tent that still stood half-erect slowed his descent just enough to save him from lethal damage. As he slowly got back on his feet, he could only grimace at the thought of the bruise he was going to have from THAT fall! It just so happens that, as he fell, a glimmer of the sun reflected off of a piece of metal and caught King's eye. Aro and Derek had already begun trying to distract the beast and give King so time to recover. King investigated the flash of light to find the sword he had lost during the attack on the first eye. He retrieved the Skeleton's old sword and re-entered the fray. King dashed under the blinded reptile and began to hack at the soft underbelly. The Behemoth only increased the fervor with which it assaulted everything within reach. Soon, however, the visionless reptilian focused its aggression on King. Sure, the first two annoyances were bad, but this newest attacker was really starting to hurt. The Behemoth started using its front legs as battering rams, sweeping away anything that was unfortunate enough to be in the way. King was soon to be one such unfortunate. Aro rushed forward, screaming her friend's name.

"King! Get out of the way!" King turned to Aro and smiled sadly, as if accepting his fate. The blow was only a moment from connecting with King when Aro dove forward and pushed him out of the way. King, who was brushed by the stroke, hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Aro, however, took the full brunt of the attack. She was sent flying only to crash right into a pile of debris nearby.


	7. Chapter 7: Death of a Legend

Derek, who had been only a few steps behind Aro when it all happened, immediately raced to her side. King let out a yell of frustration and resumed his attack with tears streaming down his face. The Behemoth pulled its head down towards King so that it could kill this thorn in its side once and for all. It remained silent for a brief moment just to ascertain King's location, then snapped up the offending Elite with a single bite. King found himself being jostled around inside the lizard's mouth. The pressure seemed so powerful that he would surely be crushed alive. In a last-ditch effort to bring the Behemoth down, King repositioned the sword to point upward. Using the last of his remaining strength, he thrust the blade through the roof of the Behemoth's mouth and pierced the beast's brain. After all the grief and hardships the creature had caused, that single blow had finally ended it all. It collapsed on the ground and twitched in its death-throes, and then stirred no longer. King freed himself from the maw of the deceased animal and gasped in the cool, fresh air. He quickly ran to his childhood friend's side. Derek looked sadly at her limp body.

"I'm sorry King. There's nothing I could've done. If she wasn't gone on impact, she didn't last long soon after." King embraced her and wept openly. Derek placed his hand on King's shoulder. King swatted it away and rose up in front of his old mentor.

"This is all your fault! If you would've gotten here sooner we could've kept to the plan! You were supposed to search the area for any survivors, not search the whole forest!" The tears were still streaming down King's face.

"I had stumbled across a small band of us that was in need of my assistance. Since my orders were to find and help any survivors, I surmised that helping them was what I was supposed to do. Pointing fingers won't bring her back. Nothing can. So why don't we just meet up with the others? Losing her is sad, but losing more is unforgivable." Derek began to turn away, but King remained motionless.

"Maybe pointing fingers won't brink her back, but I know what might!" King ran to the sword that he had forgotten in the Behemoth's mouth. He quickly wiped it clean and returned to Aro's side. He held his breath as he pressed the cool metal to the side of her cheek. King stared intently at Aro for any slight change in her feature. After several moments, he bowed he head in resignation. He didn't even notice Aro opening her eyes.

"Hey King, did we get him?" King looked up at her and grinned broadly.

"Yeah, we got him. But you just about got yourself killed. Why would you sacrifice yourself to save me?"

"Cause that's what friends are for."


End file.
